James A. Bertrand, 50, is a vice president of Delphi Corporation and president of Delphi Automotive Holdings Group as well as president of Delphi Thermal Systems. He is also a member of the Delphi Strategy Board, the company's top policy-making group, and the executive champion for the Corporation's Customer Satisfaction Task Team. He also serves as the executive champion for the Chrysler Corporation customer account.
Bertrand joined General Motors (GM) in 1979 as a product engineer at GM of Canada in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. During the next seven years he held various positions in engineering and finance, including planning and implementation activities for the CAMI joint venture with Suzuki Motor Co. and GM of Canada.
In 1986, Bertrand transferred to the New York Treasurer's Office where, in 1987, he became the manager of overseas financial analysis. He was subsequently promoted to director of business development & analysis. In 1989, Bertrand moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where he was the director of financial analysis & planning for GM Europe. In 1992, he was promoted to comptroller at Adam Opel AG in Ruesselscheim, Germany. Bertrand was relocated to Beijing, China, in 1995 and promoted to executive director business development small cars for GM's International Operations. In this capacity Bertrand was directly responsible for establishing GM's small car presence in China. He was also a member of GM's Asia-Pacific Vehicle Strategy Board, GM's most senior management group in the region.
Bertrand was named executive director of operations for Delphi in June 1997 and elected a Delphi vice president, in charge of operations in November 1998. He was named president of the former Delphi Safety & Interior Systems in January 2000. Additionally, he was named president of Delphi's Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) in January 2003. Bertrand held this dual role until January 2004 when the corporate consolidation of Safety & Interior Division allowed him to focus solely on the important competitive challenges in AHG. The scope of AHG's operations was further expanded in 2006 as a result of Delphi's restructuring decision to dramatically streamline the corporation's global product portfolio. Following the successful rationalization of the majority of AHG's operations and product portfolio, Bertrand assumed additional responsibilities as president, Delphi Thermal Systems in May 2008. Delphi Thermal competes globally in both the automotive and non-automotive sectors. Both divisions are headquartered in southeast Michigan.
Bertrand earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1979 from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada receiving several academic awards. In 1983, under the GM Fellowship Program, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.